Talking-machine



G. W. WOODWARD.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I3. I9I9.

1,357,536, Patented NOV. 2, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. W. WOODWARD.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1919.

1 Patented Nov. 2, 1920..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I To all whom t may concern UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

GARRETT W. WOODWABD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR, BY MESN'E ASSIGNMENTS TO AMERICAN AUTOMATIC PRODUCTS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TALKING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 13,

Be it known that I, GaRRETT W. WoonwARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5056 Washington Boulevard, Chicago,

in the county of Cook and State of Illinois= have invented a new and useful Improvement in Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification. h

My invention relates, more particularly, to talking machines involving a vertically movable support which carries mechanism the operation of which, in the use of the machine, is to be controlled, my invention.

having been devised for use more particularly in connection with the controlling of the operation of the power device through the medium of which the machine is actuated.

My primary object is to provide a novel and simple construction of means for controlling the operation of mechanism carried by such a support and whereby the operation of the portion of the said means to which force is applied for actuating the latter, may be supported on a stationary part of the machine without any provision for vertical movement of such part..

I have chosen to illustrate my improvements as applied to the means controlling the operation of the power device of a talking machine, and as applied to a self-operating talking machine of the character shown l in my application for United States Letters Patent for self-operating talkin@ machines filed concurrently herewith, Serial No. 303,993. f

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the upper portion of the mechanism of a selfoperating talking machine of the construction shown in my said application, and showing my improvement incorporated therein. Fig. 2 is a broken section taken at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a broken enlarged section taken at the line 3-3 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4l isa section taken at the line Specification of Letters Patent.

1s illustrated in my said application, it will be sufiicient, so far as the general features of the machine are concerned, to refer to them briefly. The machine as shown is ,formed with a stationary frame 10 secured to a plate ll'containing a central opening therethrough, this plate being suitably supported inside of the cabinet (not shown) housing the mechanism. Slidably mounted 1n the frame 10 is a vertically movable frame 13 formed of the lower` member 14, the upper plate 15 and rods 16 connecting these two members together in spaced relation, these rods sliding through openings in the frame 10. The frame 13 in the particular construction shownl is provided centrally thereof with a spirally threaded rod 17"y which depends therefromA and engages a threaded opening 18 located in the center of a gear 19 journaled at a boss 20 in the bottom member of the frame 10, whereby when the gear 19 is rotated in one direction,

the frame 13, being held against rotation, A.

and extend above the plate 11, these spin-- dles being vertically disposed and grouped equidistantly about the center of the gear 19 and carrying at their" upper ends disks 23 adapted to support, and when rotated by means of the spindles 22, feed, records from a stack thereof represented at 24in succession, to the turntable hereinafter referred to, the spindles 22 being driven through the medium of a pinion 25 journaled on one of the spindles 22 and adapted to be clutched to this spindle by the vertically movable clutch device 26 thereon and controlled through the lever 27 pivoted on the frame 10. The pinion 25 isconnected through a train of bevel-gears 28 to 33, inclusive, with mechanism illustrated generally at 34 for cooperating with, and controlling the movements of, a hollow tone-arm 35 pivoted on the machine, and in communication with the horn 36, to swing horizontally, and equipped with a reproducer portion 37 pivoted thereto and adapted'to engage the record groove of a record, these means operating in alternation with the record-feeding means, and the vertically movable support 13 lowering Awith each record-feeding operation, by reason of the rotation of the gear 19, a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a record.

The turntable to which the records are fed is represented at 38 and is supported on the upper end of a drive shaft 39 to rotate therewith, this shaft being journaled in the plate 15 'of the frame 13 and at its lower end in a bracket 40 secured to, and dependingfrom, the plate 15. The shaft 39 is provided at its upper end with a pinion 41 which coperates with gear mechanism, represented generally at 42and through the medium of which the pinion 25 is intermittently operated from the shaft 39 to operate the record-feed mechanism and the mechanism which shifts the tone arm and reproducer for the purpose stated.

ln the construction shown the driving ineans for the mechanism comprises an electric motor 43' supported in depending position from the plate 15, the armature shaft 44 of the motor carrying a pulley 45 belted at 46 to a pulley 47 rigidly connected with a shaft 48 mounted in bearings 49 and 50 dependingfrom the plate 15, this shaft being provided with a worm 51 meshing with a worm wheel 52 rigid on the shaft 39, whereby this shaft is driven from the motor, the current being supplied to the motor through wires 53 and 54 attached to the terminals of a plug 55 releasably engaging the terminals ((not shown) of a plug socket supported from the plate 15 and the terminals of which connect with the wires leading to the motor 43. The driving mechanism described is equipped with a centrifugal governor for controlling the speed at which the shaft 39 is rotated, this governor being formed of a sleeve 153 surrounding the shaft 48 and extending laterally from the pulley 47 with its outer end longitudinally slotted as indicated at 154, and a sleeve 155 surrounding the shaft 48 and having a longitudinally extending tongue 56 which extends into and is slidable in, the slot 154. The governor also comprises flexible metal strips 57 which ex- -tend lengthwise of the shaft 48 and are preferably equidistantly spaced about the latter, these strips being secured at their opposite ends, 'as indicated at 58 and 59, respectively, of the one strip shown, to the outer end of the sleeve 155 and a hub 60 on the pulley 47, and extending through openings in the pulley 47. The strips 57 carry between the pulley 47 and the outer end of the sleeve 155, weights 57a which operate by centrifugal force, in the rotation of the shaft 48, to move the sleeve 155 to the right in Fig. 5 ak distance depending upon the speed at which this shaft rotates. The outer end of the sleeve 155 carries a brake disk 61 with which coperates a brake device 62.y The brake device as shown is formed of two levers 63 and 64 of insulating material pivotally supported on a depending pin 65 carried bythe plate 15. The end of the lever 63 beyond the pivot 65 is provided with a section 66 of friction material adapted to engage with a face of the disk 61 and thereby operate to control the 'speed at which the shaft 48 rotates, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The levers 63 and 64 are connected together to normally hold them together as shown,by a coil spring 67 connected with the leve'r 64 and extending through an opening (not shown) i in the lever 63, the spring at the end beyond the lever 63 carrying a collar 68 rigid thereon, the spring 67 being under tension. l coil spring 68a surrounds the pivot 65 this spring being connected "at one end with the plate 15, as indicated at 69, and at its opposite end, which is under tension, engaging the inner side of the lever 64, this spring operating to swing the lever 64 to the right in Fig. 5 and by means of the spring connection 67, the lever 63. The spring 67 however, is of less strength than the spring 68a-for the purpose hereinafter stated. The outer ends of the levers 63 and 64 are provided with 4electrical contacts 70 and 71 connected with wires 72 and73 forming a part of the motor circuit. The lever 64 has a lug 74 which bears against a cam 75 rigidly secured to the upper end of a shaft 76 journaled in the upper member 15 of the frame 13, a spring washer 77 surrounding the shaft 76 and confined between the top of the cam member 75 and a washer 78. The upper end of the shaft 76 is connected with an arm 79 containing at its outer end, an elongated slot 80 through which a vertically disposed bar 81, in the form of a yoke, extends, this yoke member with a rod 82 journaled as indicated at 83 in the stationary member 11, and equipped with a worm-wheel 84 meshing ywith a worm 84 on a shaft 8'4b journaled on the 'member 11 and by rotating which the rod 82 is turned. lt will be understood that the connection between the rod 82 and lever 79, through the medium of the bar 81 is in effect a crank connection and that by rotating the rod 82 in one direction, the lever, 79 will be swung correspondingly to rotate the cam 75 to either rotate the levers 63 and 64 on the pivot 65 in clockwise direction in Fig. 5 against the action of the spring 68 to increase the speed at which the shaft 48 rotates; to permit these levers to rotate in counterclockwise direction in Fig. 5 under the action of the springs 67 ber 66 relative to the brake disk 61,"the parts described being preferably so arranged that when the lowest part of the cam being connected at its ends l and 68a, thereby adjusting the brake mem- 75 opposes the lug 74, the brake member 66 engages the brake disk 61 when the latter is at the extreme position (Fig. 5) and the lever 611Y under the action of the spring 5 68L is drawn to the'right in Fig. 5 away Ifrom the lever 63 thereby breaking the circuit betweenrthe contacts 70 and 7l;

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the lowering of the member 13, as for example as hereinbefore described, does not affect the operative connection between the rotatable rod 82 and -the lever 79 controlled thereby, as this lever inthe vertical movements of the member 13 slides along the bar 8l while maintaining engagement therewith.

While I have illustrated and described a particular construction embodying my invention, and its embodiment in a particular construction of machine, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto as the structure may be variously modified and altered and also used in other connections, without departing from the spirit of 25 my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support, a powerdevice movable with said support, and means for controlling the operation of said powerdeviceinvolving a movable member on a' part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a member movable with said support, and an operative connection be- 5o from saidmember in the'diierent positions x assumed by said support vertically.

l 3.A In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support, a power-device movable with said support, and means for controlling the operation of said powerdevice involving a rotatable member on a part of themachine stationary relative to said support, a member movable with said support, and an operative `connection between said members through which f' said last-referred-to member may be actuated from said other member in the diii'erent positions assumed by said support vertically. 4 In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support, a powerdevice movable with said support, and means for controlling the operation of said power-l device involving a rotatable member on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support and having a portion extending lengthwise and eccentric of,` and spaced from, the remaining portion of said member, and a member movable with said support and having sliding connection with said eccentric portion, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support, a power-device movable with said support, and means for controlling the operation of said powerdevice involving a. shaft rotatably supported on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a rod secured to, and extending in laterally spaced relation along, said shaft, and a lever -connected with said rod and slidable up and down` on the latter, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support carrying mechanism the operation of which is to be controlled, and means for controlling the operation of said mechanism involving a movable member on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a member movable with said support, and an operative connection between said members through which said last referred to member may be actuated from said other member in the different positions assumed by -said support vertically.

7 .In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support carrying mechanism the operation of which is to be controlled, and means for controlling the operation of said mechanism involving a movable member on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a pivotally supported lever movable with said support and an operative connection between said member and lever through which said lever may be actuated from said member in 110 the different positions assumed by said support vertically.

8. In a'talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support carrying mechanism the operation of which is to be controlled, and means for controlling the operation of said mechanism involving a rotatable member on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a member movable with said support, and an operative connection between said members through which said last referred to member may be actuated from said other member in the different positions assumed by said support vertically.

9. In a talking-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable support carrying mechanism theoperatin of which is to be controlled, and meansfor controlling the operation of 'said mechanism involving a ro- 130 l0 of a vertically-movable support Carrying mechanism the operation of which is to be controlled, and means for controlling the operation of said mechanism involving a Shaft rotatably supported on a part of the machine stationary relative to said support, a

rod secured to and extending in laterally l spaced relation along said Shaft, and a lever connected with said rod and slidable up and down on the latter, for the ur ose set forth.

GARRETT W. O DWARD. 

